State Library of Queensland has an extensive collection of historical maps of Queensland, some of which have been digitised and can be viewed online. This real estate map from 1925 advertises 99 allotments of land for sale at Raineys Hill Top Park Estate, located today in the Brisbane suburb of Chermside. The allotments were situated … Read more

This photograph of Father Christmas driving a group of children in his automobile in Roma on Christmas Eve, 1922 was published in the Sydney Mail newspaper on January 10, 1923. The Roma newspaper, Western Star and Roma Advertiser provides more details about this special event as well as providing a glimpse into how Roma residents … Read more

Florence Isabel Bjelke-Petersen was the wife of Queensland’s longest serving and most controversial Premier and served as a Queensland Senator for twelve years, yet according to the blurb of her book Classic country wisdom: “Lady Flo shares her wealth of timeless hints in such domestic areas as cleaning, gardening, even grooming and etiquette, as well … Read more

The John Oxley Library has recently acquired a fascinating shipboard diary written by 4th Officer, C.W. Loughridge, on the cargo ship “Torr Head” on a voyage from Belfast, Ireland, to Australia during October 1904 to January 1905. The diary contains a detailed and often amusing account of the voyage with observational commentary on Port Adelaide, Melbourne, … Read more

Albert John Hunting was an ideas man. The National Archives hold many of his patents and the list of the companies that he registered is lengthy. His business interests were incredibly varied, ranging from tourism to mining to professional sport to alternate fuels to war time weaponry to hexagonal houses. According to his family, the … Read more

Guest blogger: Conor Feehely – Archivist, Queensland Rugby Union. The skull and crossbones emblazoned across his team’s jersey may not have been to Michael Gannon’s liking, but it did characterise the buccaneering spirit with which he established himself at the helm of a raft of burgeoning sporting communities across South-East Queensland. Mr Gannon relocated to … Read more

On July 9, 2011, South Sudan, in East-Central Africa, formally obtained their independence after the results of a referendum showed an overwhelming 98.83% voted for separation. The referendum was held several months earlier in January with ABC News reporting that of the 27,000 southern Sudanese living in Australia, approximately 9,000 were eligible to vote. A … Read more

State Library of Queensland has an extensive collection of historical maps of Queensland, some of which have been digitised and can be viewed online. This real estate map from 1882 advertises 84 allotments of land for sale at the Wilson Estate in the Brisbane suburb of Sandgate. The allotments were situated on Petty Street (now … Read more